Trade Cards

ajmorris posted this on January 22nd, 2012

Trade Cards were popular from the mid-1800s to the early 20th century, as a means to promote businesses. They usually had some advertising on the back, but the real interest point for most collectors are the colorful graphics that often grace the fronts of these cards. This example from an 1880s card for Metropolitan Life Insurance is a good example of the high-quality graphics often found on these cards. This example was printed by Major and Knapp Lithographic company, well known for their graphic work.

The graphics from older cards, like this one, are in the public domain and can be used for any purpose one wishes. There are some situations in which it might be necessary to obscure the company name, as that company is still in business and no doubt the name is protected by trademark registration, which is different from copyright. Unless the image is of a currently used logo, it has no such legal protection, and is available in the public domain.